I'm a Hero
by Tatsurou-san
Summary: Sequel to I'm a Monster. Beast Boy and Raven's son tries to help a girl his age...and gets dragged into a titanic struggle to decide the fate of the world. Not that that's anything new for the Teen Titans!
1. Fateful Meeting

1. Fateful Meeting

A young boy walked through the American Midwest, strolling along more or less at random. He had dirty blonde hair, pale skin, and green eyes...or were they purple? It seemed as though his eyes couldn't make up their minds about what color they were supposed to be, shifting at random between green and purple. He was dressed in a white polo tee, tan slacks, and black sandals.

Glancing up, he saw a sign telling him where he was. He ignored the name, as it wouldn't tell him anything useful. It was the ancient names for places that helped him find his way. The ancients called this place the borderlands, where this world intersected with another, and the boundary between was very thin. Beings from both sides had a tendency to slip through, leaving a very interesting history in this place.

There was one thing of interest on the sign. "A nice place to live," he read curiously, and chuckled. "Public relations at its finest, I'm sure." He walked along the road into the city he had found.

He ignored most of his surroundings, glancing casually only at a few things. His skin prickled several times, but that was to be expected. There was quite a bit of the supernatural in this place, and he was sensetive to such things.

Having seen everything of interest, he turned to leave. On his way out of the city, he turned a corner and walked full tilt into another person. "Oomph!" He staggered backward, then caught the girl as she fell.

She looked to be about his age, with black hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a blue sweatshirt, brown slacks, white shoes and a red beanie. She looked terrified of something. "I'm sorry," she said, as she moved to run again.

"Hey, hold up! Are you okay?" He didn't know what was wrong, but his parents had raised him to care about others and to help where he could. Suddenly he felt another prickling of his skin, this one far more malevolent, and a blue wisp escaped the girls mouth.

"Oh no," she whispered, turning to look over her shoulder. Two entities - looking like vultures glowing green - swooped in their general direction. She shivered at the sight of them.

THe boy looked up at them. It was clear they were hunting the girl, and they felt malevolent. He decided to take action. He raised his fist, pointing it at the creatures. "Azarath..." Black energy flowed out of his body to gather at his fist. "Metrion..." The energy coallesced around his hand, taking shape. "Zinthos!" Twin bolts of black lightning launched from his hand.

The bolts pierced the creatures right through their chests, and they screamed as the spell took hold, banishing them back to their own realm in a very painful manner.

The girl stared in shock. "How did you do that?"

He grinned at her. "Magic. Why were they hunting you?"

She shuddered. "Let's just say...that I have some Daddy issues and leave it at that."

The boys eyes went hard, and a red tint appeared in their depths. "Your father sent them after you?" he asked, his voice filled with barely suppressed anger.

She nodded. "He just won't let me live my own life." She swayed suddenly, and put her hand to her head. "Ooh..."

The boy caught her. "Are you okay?" His eyes suddenly widened. "You're sick!"

"I'll be fine...I just need to rest..."

"If you're being hunted, you need to be well." He nodded to himself. "I'm going to help you. I'll take you to my Mom. She'll fix you up."

"But you don't even know what's wrong with me!" she insisted.

"Doesn't matter. Mom can fix ANYTHING!" He put her arm over his shoulders. "Come on, she's not far."

"She lives here?"

"No, Africa."

"How is that not far?"

"It's just around the corner." He smiled reassuringly. "Right over there." He pointed to a shadowy alleyway.

The girl looked at him like he was crazy...until they came out the other end of the alley into the African Savannah. Her eyes went wide. "Wow! Cool warp, I didn't even notice it happening!"

He smiled at her. "I've had plenty of practice. THis is as close as we can warp, we'll have to go the rest of the way on foot."

"Thanks." She smiled at him. "I'm Danielle, by the way. You can call me Dani."

He smiled back. "My name's Victor. Pleased to meet you."

"Likewise." She stepped back. "I think I can manage walking the rest of the way, now."

"Okay, come on then."

They headed towards the little house just visible in the distance. 


	2. Meet the Parents

2. Meet the Parents

As Victor and Dani approached the farmstead, there was a noise from the nearby landscape. Glancing over, Victor grinned. "Looks like Mom's hungry again," he said simply.

Dani saw a green wolf driving an ibix into the clearing near the house. "The wolf's your mom?" she asked, surprised.

He shook his head. "No, that's Dad. He's a strict vegetarian, though, which is the reason for the vegetable garden." He grinned as a winged shape swooped onto the ibix with an unearthly shriek of hunger. "That's Mom."

Dani stared in shock as the bat winged, horned woman tore into the ibix with her teeth and claws. The green wolf stepped back and trotted over to them, shifting into a man in his late 20's to early 30's with green skin, green eyes, green hair, and sharply pointed ears. He was wearing black shorts that appeared when he assumed human form. "Hey Victor," he called as he approached. "You brought a friend?"

Victor looked concerned. "Dani's sick. I thought Mom could fix her."

The man grinned. "Well, let's wait for your Mom inside. She'll want to clean up after her feeding. She's been feeding a little more frequently than normal, you know."

"I noticed. Schedule said she shouldn't need one for another week."

"That's why I wasn't prepared, and why she swooped down on it like that. It's cause you've got a sibling on the way."

"It's about time, Dad!"

"You know your Mom has an unusual physiology. We still don't know everything about it."

Dani listened as they talked. Once inside, though, the man turned to his son. "I was lenient out there, Victor, but you know the rules: true forms in the house. We don't need your Mom to feel alienated in her own house."

"I know, Dad, I know." Victor turned to Dani. "Dani, the thing is-"

"You're gonna turn into your natural form, but it's still going to be you, even though I might find it a little scary?" At his surprised expression, she smiled. "Trust me, after what I saw before my cousin helped me get away from my father, I doubt I'll be scared." She noticed the man's hands clench at the mention of 'getting away from her father,' and was curious why.

Victor nodded. "Alright." The black Lightning flared around him, and his image seemed to dissolve, leaving something else in it's place.

His hair was purple with green streaks. He was about a foot or so taller, and his skin was a very pale green. He had silver horns, just beginning to curl, and four eyes. The lower set were green, while the upper set were purple. He had huge leathery wings and a thick tail. His feet and hands ended in claws, and the only clothes he wore was a loincloth. He was barrel chested, and his body was thick with muscle. Fangs protruded from his upper and lower jaws, and he had large batlike ears.

"This is what I really look like," Victor said, a slight rasp in his voice now.

"Cool!" Dani said, walking around him to get a better look. "How'd you hide so much mass, and do that thing with your voice? And how'd you change your looks so much?"

Victor grinned, showing a mouth of razor sharp teeth. "I inherited my mystical nature from Mom, and Dad's shapeshifting abilities, though limited. I can alter the shape of parts of my anatomy, or withdraw certain parts entirely." He demonstarated by absorbing his wings breifly into his back before allowing them to manifest again. "The change in coloration is done with a glamour. The voice change comes from altering the shape of my jaws and teeth to a human form: it eliminates the rasp."

"THat is so cool!" Dani said, grinning from ear to ear. She noticed Victor's father staring at her. "Sorry," she said, sitting down.

He laughed. "No, there was nothing wrong, I was just surprised. By the way, we haven't been introduced. "I'm Garfield Logan. That's my wife, Raven, out eating the ibix, and you've already met my son, Victor."

Dani nodded. "I'm Danielle Fenton, Mr. Logan. Call me Dani."

Garfield nodded. "Alright. Now, Victor says you're sick, and I must say, my senses tell me the same. Is there some reason you smell...dead to me?"

Dani's eyes widened. She'd no idea he could tell that. "It's...it's because I'm half ghost. But I don't exactly work right...because I'm an imperfect clone." To show them what she meant, she focused. Rings of white light appeared, passing over her. When they finished, she had white hair, glowing green eyes, and was dressed in a black and white outfit with a white D emblazoned on her chest. She leaned against the table, green goop beginning to form at her feet. "It's getting worse," she whispered in shock.

"We'll just have to fix that, then."

Raven walked in through the front door, wearing a dress of woven grasses. Walking up to Dani, she examined her. "Hmm...it seems there's a fundamental imbalance between your physical and spiritual nature." Touching Dani's forehead, Raven muttered something under her breath, and Dani reverted to human form. "It'll take a few days, but I can stabalize you so you don't turn into goo anymore."

Dani stared at Raven in shock. "You...you can fix me?"

Raven nodded. "It's a simple spell, but I'll need the light of the full moon to cast it properly, and that's not for another three days. You'll stay with us, won't you?"

Dani smiled. "Sure. It'll be great to not have to worry about dissolving anymore. It'll certainly make it easier to deal with Vlad."

"I take it he's the one who made you?"

Dani nodded. "He made me to be a tool and a weapon. Even though I've left him, he just won't let me be. I wasn't the only one he made, but I lasted longer than the others, and he wants to dissect me to find out why."

A low growl came from Victor. "He'll have to go through me first!" He noticed his parents - and Dani - staring at him. "What?"

Raven started to chuckle. "So, which of us do you think he gets THAT from, Gar?"

"Hard to say, Rae. Hard to say." 


	3. Wasting Time

3. Wasting Time

Dani sat up from the woven grass bed, stretching. She glanced around at her surroundings. The room was small but cozy, very rustic. Through the window she could see the savannah stretching off into the distance. "Where..." She heard a snuffling, and glanced down.

Normally, waking up in a strange room would be cause for concern. Normally, the sight of a bat winged, green skinned, silver horned, demonic looking creature asleep on the floor of said room would be cause for alarm. However, this morning, Dani found it reassuring, as it reminded her of where she was and why. The creature on the floor was Victor, in his natural state. This was his folks house, and his Mom was going to make her better, repairing the imbalance between her human and ghostly natures so that she wouldn't have to worry about dissolving anymore. The reason Victor was on the floor was because the house only had two bedrooms - Victor's parents' room and his - and this was Victor's room, and he'd insisted she take the bed.

Remembering the previous night, Dani shook her head. There hadn't been that much explained to her. She had asked why these people - the Logan family - would go so far out of their way to help a girl they'd only just met. Mr. Logan's cryptic answer, "Old habits die hard," had left her more confused than before, and Mrs. Logan's confusing answer, "I've been in your shoes, or a pair very similar," had just left Dani completely lost. They also hadn't explained their powers.

Victor had been the only one straightforward with her, as they'd laid down to sleep after Mrs. Logan had made them a vegetarian dinner. "Mom and Dad have a lot of pain in their pasts," he'd said mildly. "When they came out here to stay, they chose to leave it all behind. They don't talk about it much, except the few times we visit extended family and old friends."

Dani slipped out of the bed, trying to be quiet. It was still pretty early here, but she was used to the time in the American Midwest, almost the opposite side of the world. She felt rested, and wanted to take a quiet look around, to see if she could figure things out. The moment her feet touched the floor, however, Victor's eyes snapped open.

"Morning," he said. He stretched catlike on the floor. "What would you like to do first? Breakfast? Washing up? Or would you rather just explore?"

Dani shook her head. "I didn't mean to wake you."

Victor shrugged. "I'm a light sleeper. I've got the instincts of every animal that ever lived on this planet as a part of me. Some were daytime creatures. Some are nocturnal. As a result, I can sleep pretty much whenever I want, and wake at a moment's notice. The end result is that I'm well rested no matter what time I wake."

Dani smirked. Then she took a brief whif of herself. She made a face. "It's been a while since I had a chance to clean myself up. I could use a bath...and a change of clothes."

Victor stood, rising to his full height. Despite his fearsome appearance and how he seemed to tower over her like this, he made her feel safe. She didn't know why. He smiled at her. "Come on. The lake's this way."

"Lake?"

Some distance from the homestead - close enough to walk, but far enough for privacy - there was a broad lake fed by a waterfall. Victor gestured. "We bathe here. Dad was never good with tools, so indoor plumbing is beyond what we can work...not that we need it. We have the crystalline beauty of nature. After your bath, I'll show you to the latrine trench."

Dani shuddered. "Wow. Talk about roughing it." She glanced around. "So where's the soap?"

Victor pointed. "The sand near the waterfall is good for scrubbing the dirt and grime off, and it leaves a rather sweet scent behind. You can use that." He tossed her a towel and stepped behind a tree. "Toss your clothes over here before you get in the water. I'll take 'em around the bend of the river and give em a good scrubbing."

"Okay. No peeking!" Taking the towel, Dani tossed her rather rancid clothes - she hadn't had the opportunity to change or clean them in weeks - over to the tree, dropped the towel by the water's edge and ran into the water. She yelped as she felt how cold the water was, but then she dove under, swimming a little to warm up. Near the center of the lake she saw she wasn't alone in the water, as the lake was full of brightly colored fish. Coming up for air, she glanced over at the shore. The towel lay there, but her clothes were gone. Victor must have taken them to wash.

Dani had a brief moment of concern, realizing that Victor would be cleaning her undergarments by hand, but she shook it off. Victor had gone quite a ways to help her out when she needed it the most. She decided she would just trust him to be honorable. Swimming over to the waterfall, she stopped by the patch of sand Victor had pointed out. It did have a very sweet scent, and when she scooped up a handful it felt incredibly soft. She began to scrub herself with the sand. It tingled a bit and felt strange, but she shrugged it off as it being far too long since she was properly clean. She scrubbed for a long time until finally her skin felt clean, until it began to feel a bit raw, actually, but she didn't care. It had been some time since she was able to take a relaxing bath, and the water and sand felt so good. She ducked under the waterfall, letting the water and the sand wash all the dirt and grime out of her hair and off her body.

Then she heard a low growl. Stepping out of the waterfall, she glanced towards the sound...and froze.

At the edge of the water, very close to where she was standing, was a young lion, staring at her hungrily. She knew she couldn't get away in time, and Mrs. Logan had placed a spell that locked her ghost powers until the full moon in order to prevent further decay. She was helpless. The lion prepared to leap...

There was a thump nearby, and a deep growling. The lion leaped straight up, spinning around. Giving a yowl of fear at what he saw, the young lion decided to seek prey elsewhere.

Victor stepped out to the shore, holding Dani's clothes, now clean. "Sorry about that," he called to her. "Most of the large predators know to stay clear of this area. He must have been desperate-OW!" He clutched at his head as the rock bounced off his horn. "What was that for?"

"I said no peeking, you jerk!" Dani shouted at him, grabbing another rock off the lakebed and hurling it.

Covering his head, Victor dropped her clothes and ducked around behind a tree as the next rock flew.

"Sorry about that," Dani said, once more dressed in her now clean clothes, as she and Victor walked back to the homestead. "I guess I reacted badly, especially after you chased off that lion."

"Don't worry about it," Victor said, rubbing his horn and arm where the two rocks had hit him. "I don't bruise all that easy. The horn hit left my head ringing, but no real problem. That's quite an arm you've got on you, though. Ever go out for any sports?"

"Not really," Dani said. "Never went to school, either, to be honest."

Victor shrugged. "Well, once Mom fixes you up, you'll have plenty of time to catch up. Come on, let's go get breakfast!" Victor took off at a fast jog.

Dani ran to keep up. "What's for breakfast?"

"Whatever we can catch!"

"You're kidding!"

"You wish!" Taking a running leap, Victor came down on a prarie dog, snapping its neck cleanly before it even knew he was there. "Hungry?"

Dani stepped back. "I think I just turned vegetarian."

Victor opened his mouth wide and dropped the dead critter in. "Your choice. Mom does make a kicking oatmeal." Smacking his lips, Victor turned to run towards home. "Come on!" he shouted, running ahead, but not too far ahead.

Smiling, Dani chased after him. Okay, so he had a few quirks that were less than desirable, but who didn't? Besides, he was born this way. She'd met some real monsters in her life who had no such excuse. They were that way because they chose to be. Hell, she was created by one. Compared to them, this was nothing.

Back at the homestead, Raven was already up and making porridge. Garfield sat at the table, yawning and scratching. "Looks like our boy was up at first light...again," he said, rubbing his eyes.

Raven nodded. "Along with our house guest. Given the state, he probably took her to the lake."

"Why?" Garfield asked, confused. "He wouldn't have a problem with her cleanliness state."

Raven looked at her husband, quirking up an eyebrow. "He might not...but SHE would, Gar. Or did you forget our houseguest was a girl?"

"With the pheremones she put out every time Victor came too close, how could I?" Garfield chuckled. "If it were any more obvious she's developed a little crush on our boy...he would have noticed!"

Raven chuckled to herself. "Wow, Gar. Your jokes have improved."

Garfield chuckled. "I live but to serve...my queen."

A low, pleasant growl came from Raven's throat. Reaching over, she pulled her husband to his feet and against her. "You know how to push my buttons," she said, leaning in for a kiss.

"Ew! Mom! Dad!" Victor had just come into the house, with Dani at his side. "We came for food, but now I've lost my appetite!"

Dani elbowed him in the side. "Come on, Victor! I think it's sweet your parents are still so in love."

"I got no problem with love. I just don't want to watch them kissing...cause that almost always is followed by their clothes coming off." Victor squinted his eyes shut to express his displeasure.

Dani gagged. "Now I've lost my appetite."

Garfield and Raven looked at each other. "Kids!" Raven said, and they both chuckled. 


End file.
